The Köttbullar med gräddsås (meatballs with cream sauce) also known as “Ikea meatballs”, are considered the Swedish national dish, they are part of every julbord, the authentic Swedish buffet, especially at Christmas and midsummer.
▶The Köttbullar are smaller and have a different taste from Italian meatballs and are almost always served with cream sauce.
▶The recipe first appeared in a book by the legendary Cajsa Warg, published in 1755.
▶They are often served with pressgurka (pressed cucumber), rårörda lingon (sweetened lingonberries), and potatismos (mashed potatoes).
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Swedish
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs mixed ground meat
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2.6 oz bread
- 1 egg
- to taste allspice
- to taste salt and pepper
- 0.7 oz butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1.7 cups beef broth
- 3 tbsp cream
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- to taste white pepper
Steps
Soak the bread in milk.
Sauté the onion in a pan.
Mix the meat with the sautéed onion, egg, squeezed bread, salt, pepper, and allspice.
Form small meatballs and brown them in a pan with a little oil.
Prepare the cream sauce (gräddsås): in a pan melt the butter, add the flour to create a roux, then add the broth, cream, white pepper, and soy sauce.
The sauce should be creamy.
Serve the meatballs immersed in the cream sauce and accompany with mashed potatoes or lingonberries.
